AEE 2491: Why Should You Not Call Someone Yellow in English?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast – Episode 2491

Title: Why Should You Not Call Someone Yellow in English?
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Aubrey Carter
Release Date: October 7, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles the origins, history, and cultural context around the phrase "calling someone yellow" to mean cowardly in English. Hosts Lindsay and Aubrey explain why this term is no longer appropriate, what makes it problematic, and, for English learners, offer practical and more respectful ways to describe someone who is acting afraid or lacking courage. Through engaging conversation, they illustrate playful versus offensive language and provide natural examples for ESL listeners.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Outdated Language in TV & Culture

• [02:54 – 04:13] The hosts reflect on how older TV shows and movies often feature language and jokes that wouldn't be acceptable today.
  • Example: On "I Love Lucy," making fun of Ricky's accent and restrictive content rules (e.g., not saying "pregnant" on TV).

Quote — Lindsay:

"There are just certain things that, I mean, this happens all the time where you think, oh, that doesn't — it doesn't feel right today." [03:32]

• Modern Sensitivities: Society is more aware and respectful of language surrounding culture, background, and orientation.

The Expression “Yellow” as Cowardly & Its Origins

• [04:33 – 05:34]
  • The phrase "calling someone yellow" (or "yellow-bellied") means calling someone cowardly.
  • Featured in classic films like "Back to the Future" and old Westerns.
  • The intention was often not discriminatory at the time, but the origins are problematic.

Quote — Aubrey:

"The origins of this term are discriminatory, and so that's why it's no longer used commonly. We definitely wouldn't recommend it." [05:49]

The Meaning of "Pejorative"

• [06:17 – 06:57]
  • The term “yellow” is both discriminatory and a “pejorative”—a word showing contempt or disapproval.

Quote — Aubrey:

“It’s a word expressing contempt or disapproval. So it’s also used as an adjective meaning to express contempt or disapproval.” [06:33]

Modern, Non-Offensive Alternatives for “Cowardly”

The episode focuses on four terms commonly used in contemporary American English:

1. Spineless

• [07:09 – 08:09]
  • Definition: Lacking courage or moral strength.
  • Use: He was too spineless to speak up against the unfair rules.
  • Caution: This is not used playfully; it’s a strong insult.

Quote — Aubrey:

"If you're calling someone spineless, they're likely to be offended or maybe have their feelings hurt." [08:04]

2. No Spine

• A lighter, more casual twist on "spineless," used occasionally in friendly teasing, e.g., about haunted houses.

3. Scaredy Cat

• [08:32 – 09:13]
  • Definition: A playful term for someone who is easily frightened—suitable for kids or light teasing.
  • Use: “Stop being such a scaredy cat, it’s just a little thunder.”

4. Chicken / Chicken Out

• [10:11 – 11:10]
  • Chicken as noun/adjective: “Are you a chicken?” “I’m too chicken to do it.”
  • Chicken out (phrasal verb): “I was going to try bungee jumping, but I chickened out at the last second.”
  • More playful than "spineless," can be used in a variety of contexts.

Quote — Aubrey:

“It's not as heavy as saying, like, then she was spineless. It's a little more playful. A lighter. Right.” [11:17]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

Distinguishing Between Levels of Insult

• “You don't want to just throw this word around and call anybody spineless, that's a pretty big insult.” — Lindsay [07:39]
• “If I were to call you a scaredy cat, Aubrey, like, would you rather I call you spineless or a scaredy cat?” [11:38]
  “Definitely a scaredy cat. That one's the most playful of all of these.” — Aubrey [11:51]

On Facing Fear Together

• Aubrey: “Imagine going into a haunted house alone. I don't.” [16:02]
• Lindsay: “I don't want to go, even with 10 people I know. Certainly not going alone.” [16:05]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 01:00: Introduction & episode theme
• 02:53 – 04:33: Discussion: outdated language in classic TV/film
• 05:03 – 05:49: Listener question about “turn yellow”; explanation of its meaning
• 06:17 – 06:57: Discussing “yellow” as pejorative and defining “pejorative”
• 07:09 – 08:09: Deep dive into “spineless”
• 08:32 – 10:11: Explaining “scaredy cat” and playful uses
• 10:11 – 11:33: Use of “chicken” and “chicken out”
• 13:46 – 15:57: Role play: planning a haunted house visit, naturally using all terms
• 16:27 – 16:39: Related episode suggestion: “Get a grip”

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Role Play Section (Haunted House Example)

Demonstrates all expressions in a friendly, teasing context.

• “I'm kind of scared. You know, I'm a chicken about this stuff.” — Aubrey [14:10]
• “Don’t be such a scaredy cat!” — Lindsay [14:14]
• “I reserve the right to chicken out and not go inside.” — Aubrey [14:18]
• “Absolutely not. You can’t plan on being spineless.” — Lindsay [14:23]
• “Who’s the chicken now?” — Aubrey [14:30]

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Episode Takeaways

• Why not use “yellow”? Its discriminatory and pejorative origins mean it’s best avoided.
• Modern alternatives include “spineless” (serious insult), “scaredy cat” and “chicken” (more playful/light), and the phrasal verb “chicken out.”
• Understanding the weight and playfulness of these terms helps learners use them appropriately and avoid causing unintended offense.
• Admitting fear and joking about it can be a powerful way to connect with others in English.

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Related Resources (Mentioned)

• All Ears English Episode 2497: “Grip or Grasp? Tips for This Tricky English Vocabulary.” [16:09]
• The All Ears English app for personalized vocabulary and transcripts.

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Closing Thought

“We all have moments when we’re scared. This is actually a great connection moment — admitting vulnerability and being kind of teasing and playful about it.” — Aubrey [16:39]

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Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an Allers English podcast. Episode 2491 why should you not call someone yellow in English?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection. With your American host, Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, and Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz coming to you from Arizona and New York City, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the Allears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com app.

[Lindsay]

Are you a scaredy cat today? Learn four phrases for calling someone scared or cowardly and discover why you should not call someone yellow in English.

[Aubrey Carter]

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[Lindsay]

I'm doing well, Aubry, how are you? I'm excited to record to you with you.

[Aubrey Carter]

I know it's always fun when we get to join each other on the mic. Lindsay's out of town this week. I'm excited to hear about her trip when she gets back. And in the meantime.

[Lindsay]

We get to record.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, so.

[Lindsay]

But Aubry, I would like to start today with a question for you.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right.

[Lindsay]

So have you ever watched an older show and seen or heard something thing that wouldn't be in a show today?

[Aubrey Carter]

All the time. I can't believe how often this happens actually. Right. Terms that we wouldn't use any longer that are discriminatory references to, you know, something being inappropriate or. It's crazy how often this happens. What about you?

[Lindsay]

Yeah, I mean even something as simple as. I mean this isn't a dish. Like even when you watch I Love Lucy. Do you ever watch I Love Lucy?

[Aubrey Carter]

No, but yes.

[Lindsay]

I mean like it's Sometimes, you know, I think we've talked about this. Something holding up. Right? You watch I Love Lucy. It's such a classic show, but there's a lot that doesn't hold up. I mean, including, like, you know, they're sleeping in separate beds. They weren't allowed to say, like. Like, they were the first show, I think, on TV to say the word pregnant. So just things were different. And also, just like the relationship between L and Ricky, she was right, so. And also, there's a lot of making fun of Ricky's accent. There are just certain things that I. You. I mean, this happens all the time where you think, oh, that doesn't. It doesn't feel right today. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

We're trying to be more respectful of other people's culture, language, sexual orientation. And so a lot of things that used to be very accepted and funny in shows, we won't see much anymore. A good example is Back to the Future. Do you remember the movie, the Back to the Future series? I loved it.

[Lindsay]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

But I remember one of the characters calling someone yellow. This is said a lot in the show to mean cowardly. They're like, nobody calls me yellow. And now we don't use this term. So we actually got a question about this, and I'm excited to dive in today to why we don't recommend calling someone yellow. And better things, better ways that we can call. Because you might need to call someone cowardly, right?

[Lindsay]

It happens. Yeah. So this comes from YouTube. Aubry, would you like me to read the question?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Lindsay]

All right. So this is from Mustafa, and he says, hello, I'm Mustafa from Syria. Thanks for the beautiful episode. I heard an idiom, do not turn yellow on me. What is its meaning and when can I use it? Oh, well, thank you so much, Mustafa, for your question. Thanks for listening. And, yeah, this is a really great question. A lot to talk about here.

[Aubrey Carter]

You will hear this a lot. In older movies, yellow used to mean cowardly. Right. Not brave. You'll hear and often Yellow bellied. That.

[Lindsay]

Yellow bellied, yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

You'll see.

[Lindsay]

Yellow bellied, blah, blah, blah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, exactly. So you. If you haven't heard it yet, you probably will now. Old Westerns, lots of old movies, this was a very common term. And usually when it was said, there was no intent of it being a discriminatory term, but the origins of this term are discriminatory, and so that's why it's no longer used commonly. We definitely wouldn't recommend it because of the history of this word.

[Lindsay]

Yeah, definitely. Yeah. One way that we could describe this word is. Well, we could say it's a discriminatory. As discriminatory term. It's also a pejorative. That's a new vocabulary word. Aubry, what is a. What does pejorative mean?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, this is a great word. It mean. I mean, it. It's a word expressing contempt or disapproval. So it's also used as an adjective meaning to express contempt or disapproval. Right. So this is any term that has some kind of racist or discriminatory prejudicial feeling behind it.

[Lindsay]

Right. So, yeah, really important word to know. So, but today we're going to share better vocabulary. So, I mean, when somebody did say yellow, what did they mean?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, it meant cowardly. And we're going to share some great words we still use that aren't pejoratives. The first one is spineless. This means lacking courage. It can also mean lacking, like, moral strength. So, for example, he was too spineless to speak up against the unfair rules. So this is often the way we use this is someone should be brave. There's a reason to be brave and they don't dare. They're afraid. We'll call them spineless.

[Lindsay]

Yeah. Or another thing you could say is, I don't want to be spineless, but it's hard to say anything since I'm not confrontational at all. So, yeah, I think we've all been there. You don't want to have a confrontation. But yeah, someone might say that could be. In certain situations that could be spineless. And this is a. Yeah, if you, if you, you don't want to just throw this word around and call anybody spineless, that's a pretty big insult.

[Aubrey Carter]

It is, right? This is heavy. We don't really use this playfully.

[Lindsay]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

If you're calling someone spineless, they're likely to be offended or maybe have their feelings hurt. So, yeah, that's good to know. It's pretty serious word. And we also will sort of change the word and say someone has no spine. And we do use it a. In less serious situations. Like if you're at a haunted house and someone doesn't go in, you might be like, oh, you're so spineless, you have no spine.

[Lindsay]

But I think that these next words that we have, these are more like, I like how you described spineless. It's a heavy word. These next ones are lighter. So this first one is scaredy cat. And this is more a person who is easily frightened. I think of scaredy cat more for, you know, scary movies. Lindsay and I have recently talked about Scary movies, if we like them, or haunted houses or, you know, going on. Or going on a ride. A scary ride. If you say, no, I'm a scaredy cat. Right. So you. It's a. It's a person who is easily frightened. So you could say, stop being such a scaredy cat. It's just a little thunder.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Or she's a real scaredy cat. When it comes to horror movies, that's about me.

[Lindsay]

I think that is you.

[Aubrey Carter]

It depends. I like a good thriller, but I don't really like jump scares.

[Lindsay]

Oh, I hate that. That I can't. Like when I know someone's gonna pop out and, you know, it's happening. The music, it's all leading there. I. I can't take it.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Like, I'm just gonna go in the other room.

[Lindsay]

Yeah, yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

But, yeah, it's interesting how this sort of highlights the difference between being afraid and being cowardly. It is different, Right. Where if someone isn't brave, often it's more of an implication that they should be. For some reason, they're facing some kind of injustice or unfair treatment and they need to be brave and stick up for themselves. And then there's also fear of things like this. Haunted houses, roller coasters. Right. So often what we would call someone, whether playfully or not, will be a little bit different depending on what we're saying they're scared of.

[Lindsay]

Right? Yeah, exactly. And similar to scaredy cat is chicken. So this is scared or cowardly can be used as an adjective or a noun. So it's interesting, I would say this one could also be kind of both kinds of things that you're scared of. Right. So, for example, you might just hear, are you a chicken or are you chicken?

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, exactly. Right. So used as a noun there, are you a chicken? Meaning, like, are you scared? Are you not brave? You might say, I'm not jumping over that fence. I'm way too chicken. Or you could say, I'm too big of a chicken. So either you're using it as a noun or an adjective.

[Lindsay]

Right. But we also might say chicken out. So what. What's that? Aubry.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, this is like a phrasal verb. It's an idiom, but it's to decide not to do something because you're afraid. So, for example, I was going to try bungee jumping, but I chickened out at the last second.

[Lindsay]

Would be me. Or she promised she'd speak in front of the class, but then she chickened out.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And we use this a lot. Right. It's not as Heavy as saying, like, then she was spineless. It's a little more playful. A light. Lighter. Right. But yeah, I like how you said chicken can be used for either. You'd be like, oh, I need to talk to my boss about this, but I'm too chicken.

[Lindsay]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Or you could say spineless. It depends on sort of how heavy the situation is.

[Lindsay]

Right, right, right. And all of these. You don't want to be called these things. But, like, if I were to call. Is call you a scaredy cat, Aubrey, like, would you rather I call you spineless or a scaredy cat?

[Aubrey Carter]

Definitely a scaredy cat. That one's the most playful of all of these. Right.

[Lindsay]

Like, I don't want to go in the scaredy cat. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

But it really depends on the situation. Right. If you and I are in a horror movie and I'm screaming the whole time we leave, that would be more appropriate to either. To just be like, you're such a scaredy cat. Whereas these others imply bravery more. Which that's, you know, being scared in a horror movie doesn't mean you're not brave. Right, Right.

[Lindsay]

You just don't like that kind of stuff.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, exactly.

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[Aubrey Carter]

All right. We have a role play here. To use some of these terms, you and I are planning on going to a haunted house in this roleplay. Yeah.

[Lindsay]

Oh, boy. I don't love that. I don't. I don't love that. So. But that's okay. Halloween is coming up kind of soon. So here we go. Okay. The haunted house opens at 8. Are you ready?

[Aubrey Carter]

Honestly, I don't know. I'm kind of scared. You know, I'm a chicken about this stuff.

[Lindsay]

Oh, Aubry, don't be such a scaredy cat. I heard this one isn't bad at all.

[Aubrey Carter]

I will go with you, but I reserve the right to chicken out and not go inside.

[Lindsay]

Absolutely not. You can't plan on being spineless. You have to promise you'll come in with me. There's no way I'm doing it alone.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay, who's the chicken now?

[Lindsay]

Oh, good role play.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. I like this because it shows how all of these can be playful, even spineless. There. Right. I'm not offended. Can't plan on being spineless. Right. You can't plan ahead on being not brave.

[Lindsay]

Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay]

That. It is really good how we showed it in that. In. In that lighter way. So that's good. So let's go through it. So you said, I'm kind of sc. Do you know I'm a chicken. I'm a chicken about this stuff.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And you can use either way here. I'm using as a noun, I'm a chicken. I'm a chicken about this stuff. Or I could have just said, you know, I'm chicken, meaning, like, you know, I'm scared. And then you said, don't be such a scaredy cat. And this is perfect. Right. It's not really mean. It's teasing a little bit poking fun, being like, don't be scared. We got this.

[Lindsay]

Right. And then you said, I'll go with you, but I reserve the right to chicken out and not go inside. Right. So to change my mind.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly.

[Lindsay]

Because scared.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. Right. This is fun. Like used as a phrasal verb. I love it. And then you said, you can't plan on being spineless. So this, you know, you. Any of these would work. You can't plan on being a chicken. A scaredy cat. But spineless works here. Means brave. You can't plan on not being brave.

[Lindsay]

Right. And then you said, I. Because I said, I don't want to do it alone. And you said, oh, who's the chicken now? So now you're throwing it back at me.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yep. Selling you a chicken. This means you're scared. You're not brave. Right. You don't want to go in alone. Who would.

[Lindsay]

Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Imagine going into a haunted house alone. I don't.

[Lindsay]

I don't want to go. Even with 10 people I know. Certainly not going alone.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. We want to share an episode in case you missed it. Allers English 2497 was grip or grasp tips for this tricky English vocabulary. And I thought of this one because if someone's being a chicken, you might tell them to get a grip. So make sure you don't miss that episode.

[Lindsay]

Yes, absolutely true. And guys, also check that one out. But also make sure, if you haven't already, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening to All Ears English podcast. So you never miss anything.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. Awesome. As a takeaway here, we all have moments when we're scared. This is actually a great connection moment. Look at this role play. What a great connection moment to, like, be planning on doing something but admitting you're a little scared, admitting that vulnerability and being kind of teasing and playful about it.

[Lindsay]

It. Yeah, true. All right, Aubrey. Well, this was so much fun. I'm glad we recorded together. And yeah, we'll see you soon.

[Aubrey Carter]

Awesome. See you next time.

[Lindsay]

Bye bye.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Thanks for listening to All Ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.